


April María Lupin

by WildFlight31027



Series: April María Lupin [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Beauxbatons, Consent, Crushes, Dating, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, I Don't Even Know, Light-Hearted, Love, Original Character(s), POV First Person, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:38:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15745368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildFlight31027/pseuds/WildFlight31027
Summary: April María Lupin has a Spanish mother and a British father. She was raised in America, went to her first year at Hogwarts, and was yanked out by her mother to move to Spain to be with her Abuela.  April attended Beauxbatons her second and third years.  Now, she is being transferred back to Hogwarts for her fourth year.  What awaits her is nothing more than teenage drama and romance, or is it?  A cute little fluff that you will hopefully enjoy.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Post Grad Boredom](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Post+Grad+Boredom).



> Hopefully you enjoy this! Be sure to leave a Kudos and/or comment so I know you are out there. I really appreciate any feedback positive or negative. Enjoy!

_ Dear Hermione, _

  


_ Thank you so much for writing.  I really appreciated the end of year accounts from your perspective.  My father’s recollections are not nearly as comprehensive. Also, there is a fairly large chance that he isn’t telling me everything he can remember from that night out of embarrassment, or out of a “fatherly duty to protect me”.   _

  


_ Anyway, I have some very exciting news,  I will be returning to Hogwarts this year!  I wanted to thank you again for staying in contact with me even after I had to leave Hogwarts after our first year.  As I’ve mentioned before, Beauxbatons has been an amazing experience and I have loved every minute of it. Did I mention I was in their equestrian, dance, and choir programs?  I was glad to move to Spain to be with my Abuela my second year but having to learn Spanish for her, and then French for school right after was definitely not easy. Even before that, having moved from America to England when I was 11 to go to Dad’s school the year before, was already tough enough.  Sorry, I feel like I sound like I’m complaining but I am definitely not trying to!  _

  


_ Of course I’m sad that Abuela passed, but I had way more time with her than I had thought I would and I learned a lot from her.  I’m not sure if I ever told you but she was actually a Veela! My mom had never even told me! I guess she was embarrassed or something?  So it has definitely been an enlightening three years, finding out that I am also a quarter Veela.  _

  


_ I’m getting pretty nervous about my return to Hogwarts.  I still wish that you could be with me in Ravenclaw, but I guess I can settle for you to still be my best study buddy.  Dumbledore and Flitwick should be sending me an exam soon to see where I lie in the Hogwarts curriculum, so they can send me my schedule with the rest of you!   _

  


_ Please tell me what’s going on with you?  How was the rest of your third year? Your family?  Crookshanks? How’s Harry? The Weasley’s? Anyone else I’m currently forgetting and I will feel awful about in the future?  Anyway, I can’t wait to hear back and see you on the Hogwarts Express! _

  


_ Your friend, _

_ April María Lupin _


	2. Breakfast

I rolled up the parchment and attached it to my barn owl, Swoops’, leg.  I gave her a soft pet from her head to her back and she softly nibbled at my finger.

“Please get this to Hermione,”  I said. She hooted, I shrugged and took that as a yes.  She rubbed her head against my hand and took off into the bright summer sky.  

I watched her fly away until I couldn’t see her anymore.  I turned around and headed downstairs for breakfast. My dad was standing there attempting to make breakfast.  I say attempting because he seemed to be wincing and flailing his arms around the kitchen with his back to me. As I got closer I learned that I was correct in my assumption.  I could see various bits of white egg shells in the pan. The egg was somehow both runny and overcooked at the same time. While the toast was burnt so bad that it sounded like a rock when it hit the plate.  I looked up at my dad.

“Please, don’t make me eat this.”  I pleaded using my puppy dog eyes at him.  He looked from me to his creation and back again. 

He sighed, “Alright,”  he picked up the pan and knocked the food into the garbage, “but I don’t know what I can make you that will be any better.  I never got cooking spells down so I thought if muggles could do it so could I… I was wrong.” I flashed him a pitiful smile and threw out the brick toast as well.  I washed the pan of all the egg and shell bits. I rested the pan back on the stove, turned on the heat, and began getting to work.

“Just sit down and read the paper or something.  I’ve got the food. Can you make me a promise though?”  I sliced some butter and allowed it to slowly sizzle in the pan letting the aroma of salty, greasy butter fill the room.

“What is it?”  he asked hesitantly.

“Please never cook for me again?” I teased, reaching for the eggs beginning to crack them on the side of the pan and splitting them open into the pan below.

“I don’t think we have to worry about that.”  he chuckled as he opened The Daily Prophet. I flipped the eggs and threw a few pieces of bread into the toaster.

I finished and plated everything.  As a little extra touch I chopped up some chives very small and sprinkled them on top of the eggs.  I put the plate in front of him, he put his paper down, and he stared at the plate in front of him with wide eyes and his mouth agape.  

“Wh-Wh-Where did you learn to cook like this?”  he asked, seemingly very shocked.

“Having a muggle Abuelo can be very useful.  He taught me how to cook, to dance, and he even got me to fall in love with dogs.  By the way I’m definitely having you get me a little pup when I graduate, just giving you a heads up,” I said.  

My Abuelo taught me about the beautiful things that muggles have to make their own lives more magical, even without physically having magic.  Sadly, he died hours after my Abuela, the doctors said it was a broken heart that made him follow so closely behind her. That’s why my mother suggested I move back with my dad, she wanted to do some soul searching to find her own other half like her parents had for each other.  When my mother was young, she was so caught up in the magical world that she rushed into marrying my dad. She fell more in love with the idea of having a magical family, than actually being in love with my dad. He was, of course, heartbroken and even more so when she took me away to raise me in the States when they divorced.  I was only one. I was raised as an American with a Spanish mother and a British father. Dad cleared his throat and I was brought back to reality.

“Well, I’m glad I can reap the rewards of his teachings.”  he said, scooping a huge amount of eggs onto his fork and shoving it into his mouth, talking with his mouth full, “Wow, April, this is really good.  I mean it. I’m not just saying that because I’m your dad. Although I would probably still tell you it was good even if it wasn’t…” he realized he backed himself into a corner and he shoveled another mouthful of food to shut himself up.  I laughed at his immense lack of table manners and tact. We talked for a while and it was really nice being back with him. We always had a very easy and good relationship even though we were mostly apart for the last 3 years. Of course I would visit over the summer, but as Abuela got more sick I found it harder and harder to leave her.  

After we finished our meal, he waved his wand and the plates flew into the air.  They softly landed in the sink and began to wash themselves before finally placing themselves on the drying rack next to the sink.  Then there was a light rapping on the window over the sink. A simple brown owl was standing impatiently with a large envelope in its mouth.  I got up and rushed towards the window. Opening it, the owl flew into the room and onto the kitchen table. I quickly retrieved a small bowl from the cupboard, filled it with water and placed it in front of the owl.  Putting the envelope in my extended hand the owl hooted and began drinking from the bowl. I tore it open and quickly read over the top letter that was written in perfect slanted cursive that I knew all too well, to be Dumbledore’s.

 

_ Dear April María Lupin, _

 

_ We are very excited about your return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.  As we have discussed, because of your transfer we must first conduct an examination of your skills to find where you will be most rightfully challenged.  Some of the Beauxbatons’ curriculum is far ahead of ours while other aspects of your education may be a tad behind your other classmates. We ask you to please try your hardest in this assessment, as that is the only way we can truly place you based on your skill.  I ask that you do not try to dumb yourself down in the hopes of rejoining your fellow fourth years, as you will only be cheating yourself and your schooling in the end.  _

_ The test is in the envelope.  The sooner you complete the examination the sooner you will receive your results as well as your schedule.  We look forward to seeing you back at Hogwarts for an even more exciting year than usual. _

_ Lastly, when you return I would like to set up a meeting with you to discuss a few things about your learning, plans, and life. _

 

_ Best of luck,  _

_ Professor Dumbledore _


	3. The Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, of course, do not own anything except my own original character. Everything else was created by Queen JK.

I opened the envelope again with an excitement.  Finally, I’ll be able to put my summer studies to good use.  I gave my dad a quick kiss on the cheek, said bye, and eagerly ran up the stairs to my room.  I sat at my desk that stood in front of a large window overlooking the woods and mountains. I laid all my work out in front of me.  The test was divided up into sections the first few were mandatory and were listed as such:

  1. Transfiguration
  2. Charms
  3. Potions
  4. History of Magic
  5. Defense Against the Dark Arts
  6. Astronomy
  7. Herbology



There was then a list of optional exams of which I had to take at least two, which I figured out would probably be my electives:

  1. Divination
  2. Arithmancy
  3. Study of Ancient Runes
  4. Care of Magical Creatures
  5. Muggle Studies



Before even attempting to try to decide between the electives, I decided to jump in head first with the first test section, Transfiguration.

Throughout the day I stayed up in my room plowing through the courses one by one.  From time to time Dad would come up with a cup of tea and set it beside me. I would say a quick thank you and return to the exam.  When I finished with History of Magic I looked up and the sun was setting. I had spent all day working and I was just over halfway done with just the core classes.  I sighed and felt my stomach gurgle. The monster was hungry.

I slowly trudged down the stairs to the kitchen where I found Mr. Weasley talking to my dad.  I perked up and walked over.

“Hi, Mr. Weasley!”  I said excitedly. Mr. Weasley’s back was facing towards me and he seemed to jump slightly at my unannounced arrival.  He quickly recovered, turned around, and got up to give me a hug. I always really liked Mr. Weasley, although there isn’t anything about him to really dislike.  He was a very nice man, hard worker, and loved his huge family above all else. This huge family of course picked up the non official members like Harry Potter or Hermione Granger and, yes, even myself back during my first year.

“Well, no, this can’t be little April… You are turning into quite the beautiful young woman.  I should hide my sons when you come around or they’ll never stop trying to court you, will they.”  he said hugging me tight releasing me but keeping his hands on my arms as if to look at me straight and make sure it was me.  I hadn’t thought about it too much but I guess I had changed a lot since I was 11, as I should have. I was currently 14 going on 15 in, well you must have guessed it, April.  

“Arthur just came by because I had told him that you were coming back and going to Hogwarts.  He was wondering if you’d fancy going to the Quidditch World Cup with his lot towards the end of the summer.  A really kind offer by the way, Arthur.” said dad, he seemed a little sad as if he wished he would’ve thought of it or that he wished he could take me.  I looked at my dad for maybe too long because he quickly recovered and replaced his longing with a plastered on happy face of encouragement.

“Thank you but - I don’t know, I just got this huge placement test that I have to do before term.  It’s a lot I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get it done as it is. Let alone if I had a World Cup to go to”  I replied with feigned sadness. Honestly, I didn’t really care either way, I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I liked Quidditch but I never played as I was a first year at Hogwarts and they didn’t have a very big Quidditch scene at Beauxbatons.  Also, I really was worried about getting those tests done.

“April, you should go.  Don’t stay all cooped up in your room studying all summer.  I know you will do enough of that during the school year. Also, the Cup isn’t for another week.  At the rate you’re going you’ll be done in a few days. Let off some steam before the year starts.”  Dad went on with a more convincing and sincere smile. Mr. Weasley looked at me expectantly.

“All right, I’ll go.  Thank you so much, Mr. Weasley.  I really appreciate the invitation.” I accepted semi reluctantly, my stomach doing small somersaults. 

“Fantastic!  Everyone will be so excited to hear you’re coming with us.” Mr. Weasley said clasping his hands together in finality.  “Well, I’ll be sure to owl the details when it gets closer,” he said to my dad. “Have a goodnight, Remus.” 

“Goodnight” he replied

“Goodnight, April.  I’ll see you in a week!”  Mr. Weasley said. With that he disappeared with a loud crack.

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to.  I don’t really care. Honestly, I’d rather spend the extra time with you,”  I pleaded.

“No, no, no, don’t be silly.  You should see your friends. I know we haven’t seen each other much but you’ve seen them even less.  Plus, I’ll be here when you get back and we’ll still have another week together, go to Diagon Alley, the works. Also, it’ll be good for someone else to cook for you, Molly’s great if you remember,”  he said. I did, memories of warm beef stew and home cooking filled my mind and my stomach growled again.

“Yeah, you’re right.”  I settled. “Are you hungry?” I asked

“Starving” he replied dramatically.  I laughed and turned toward the kitchen.  I ended up throwing some stuff together and making a nice little pasta dish.  Dad was, again, shocked and amazed by what I could throw together. He cleaned up with a flick of his wand, said goodnight, and went our separate ways for the night. 

I got ready for bed, changing into my simple white and baby blue striped shorts and matching button down lapeled sleeping shirt.  Going to the bathroom, I couldn’t help but stare at my reflection as I brushed my teeth and thought about how I’ve changed over the years.  Changed since I was last with Hermione and the rest of the kids from Hogwarts. Holidays away from Beauxbatons in the Spanish sun gave me even more freckles than before, that danced all across my skin.  My newly tanned skin greatly contrasted with my father’s light, almost grey, blue eyes that laid beneath my thick and dark eyebrows. I still had my mother’s thick lips and her straight prominent nose. Also, thanks to my father, I grew to the grand height of 5’9” so I felt like a giantess compared to my petite little french friends..  My once pin straight brown hair was now curly from that lovely thing we all call puberty. Speaking of puberty she came and went giving me fairly small breasts but a pretty big butt. However, the butt could have also been attributed to long days riding horses during the weekends at Beauxbatons, putting off studies I felt I had already mastered and felt were frivolous work.

I certainly didn’t think I was unattractive, but that wasn’t as big of a deal at Beauxbatons.  Everyone there was beautiful. All for different reasons either their external beauty, skills, intelligence, confidence.  The students at Beauxbatons were expected to have such an air about them that everyone was beautiful and therefore it was the character of the person that had to stand out.  Madam Maxine, the headmaster, expected a lot from her students. Most were up for the challenge, myself included. I suppose I was worrying about external matters for no reason.  Hogwarts didn’t care about looks at all from what I could remember. As long as you wore your uniform to class you were ok. There was nothing about the way that you carried yourself that really mattered at this school.  Even their song was rather ridiculous compared to Beauxbatons’. Beauxbatons’ was elegant and well rehearsed. Hogwarts’ song could be sung in any tune you wanted.

That was the brilliant thing about Hogwarts they seemed to invite everyone to have a home away from home.  Ravenclaw was particularly special in this regard. My house was brilliant, but also accepting of the most peculiar characters, who very much added a new and fresh flavor that none of the other houses acknowledged.  

I turned off the bathroom light and headed to my room.  I turned off the light on my desk, turned off the rest of the lights and ran to my bed.  No matter how old I get, I still feel like if I don’t rush to my bed after I turn out the lights, something is going to get me.  There is something so silly about that, if something was really after me, running to my bed wouldn’t really stop them, would it? I rolled over and started thinking about the World Cup, again, I got a sick feeling in my stomach.  ‘It must be the food, right? I hope dad doesn’t feel sick.’ I quickly fell asleep thinking about conquering the rest of the exam tomorrow.


	4. One Week Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter but it felt like a natural close, I will upload the next chapter very soon!

Over the following week I got into a nice little routine between my testing, spending time with my dad, and even going on runs to get out of the house a bit.  After another two and a half days I finished the placement test and sent it back. Swoops had returned that morning with a bit of parchment attached to her leg.

 

_ Dear April, _

 

_ I am so excited to hear about you coming back to Hogwarts!  Mr. Weasley also wrote and said that you will also be coming to the World Cup with us.  I’m happy that I won’t be the only one without an undying love for Quidditch. I am so excited to see you and catch up about everything. See you soon! _

 

_ Your Best Study Buddy,  _

_ Hermione _

 

I was a little sad to see the very short letter she wrote back to me but I figured it was just because we’d be seeing each other so soon that she probably found it unnecessary to add more.  Still it would’ve been nice to get an update on everyone. I pushed the doubt out of my head.

I collected my things in a backpack that Dad had put an extension charm on.  I packed any and everything I thought I might need as I didn’t really know what to expect on this trip.  I packed a few books here and there, still hoping to get as far ahead for the year as possible.

“Well, today is the day!  Are you excited?” My dad asked upon my arrival in the kitchen.

“Yup!”  I said, trying to muster some excitement for an event I didn’t really care for.  He didn’t seem to notice my feigned enthusiasm and we carried on like usual. I made us breakfast while he read the paper.  After I finished eating he walked with me over to the fireplace in the living room.

“Do you have your potion?  The full moon is tonight. I want you to be safe.  Just because I’m not here doesn’t mean you can go off frolicking with some were-chick.”  I said worriedly and partially joking.

“I’m the parent.  I’m supposed to be checking to make sure you have everything and will be safe.  You’re stepping on my lines,” he joked grabbing me and pulling me into a very tight hug.  “Be safe. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you need anything, I’ll be here. Did you make sure to pack some chocolate?”  He asked releasing me from his grip.

“Of course, I am a Lupin after all” I said reaching deep into the backpack and pulling out a bar of dark chocolate.  I grabbed some floo powder that was standing on the shelf above the fireplace and stood in the fireplace.

“Love you, don’t forget to have fun!” He finished.

“Love you too, Dad,” I responded.  I threw the powder to the ground below and stated, “The Burrow.”


	5. The Burrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I ended up having a little vacation all week. Also, I am re-reading the book while I am writing this so I hope to incorporate a fair amount of the fun book stuff into this as well.

Within seconds I was sliding out of a fireplace and onto old wooden floorboards.  I looked up to find Harry, Hermione, Ron, and another girl sitting at the table with their mouths open in surprise.  The girl I didn’t know looked younger than the other three and had fiery red hair. This must’ve been Ron’s younger and only sister, Ginny.  I sprang to my feet and dusted the soot off of my clothes to the best of my ability. Hermione was the first one to regain her composure as she stood up and came towards with with outstretched arms.

“April!  You scared us half to death.  Well, it’s great to see you. You’ve grown so much.  I think you’re taller than the lot of us!” She exclaimed while she wrapped me in a tight hug.  At her last remark the two boys stood up and seemed to be sizing me up.

“Blimey!  Little American April from first year?  That can’t be you-” Ron said.

“Hi April, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”  Harry interjected over Ron’s rambling. Harry brought me into a hug next.  Hermione may have been right, I was certainly taller than Hermione and even taller than Harry which I realized as he brought me into a slightly awkward hug.  I went over to Ron and gave him a quick hug. As I backed up, his ears turned red and I pretended to not notice.

“It’s great to see you guys.  Sorry for the abrupt entrance,” I laughed to myself recalling their initial reactions to my appearance.  I turned towards the other girl who was still sitting. “And you must be Ginny,” she seemed to perk up at the mention of her name.

“Certainly am,”  She replied enthusiastically

“Well, it’s great to finally meet you!  I remember hearing about you my first year.  It’s great to meet another strong female Weasley.”  At that moment I heard barging footsteps bound closer from the kitchen.  Mrs. Weasley’s big red hair came whooshing by as she quickly embraced me.

“Oh my, April!  You’ve gotten so tall!  But still so thin. Is your father even feeding you?  Well, never mind that. We have a full house at the moment, dear, so you will be in Ginny’s room with her and Hermione.  I’ll have dinner ready in a bit and we’ll be outside to accommodate for all the people. I’ll let you socialize and situate.”  She quickly announced before turning back around towards the kitchen. The five of us sat down at the table and they talked to me about what happened when Mr.  Weasley went to pick up Harry. Apparently, Fred and George tagged along and they dropped some trick candies for Dudley to test out for them. I wasn’t surprised at Fred and George’s behavior but the four couldn’t stop laughing and I didn’t really understand.

“So you’re telling me that Dudley has gotten so fat that his family put him on this super constrictive diet?”  I asked, Harry nodded. “And you told Ron about this who told his whole family, including Fred and George?” Harry nodded again but slower and more apprehensive.  “And you had also been sneaking to eat cakes and other things that were sent to you, while Dudley had to cut his original diet down so much he must have been starving… I feel so bad for him.”  I said and everyone turned to me in upset.

“What do you mean you feel bad for the git?  He’s been torturing Harry ever since he was dropped on their doorstep!”  Ron exclaimed.

“Well then, how does that make Harry any better than Dudley?  I mean the whole reason Dudley is overweight is because of his parents.  They shower him with food and material things because that’s what they can give him to show their love, they don’t have magic.  Your Aunt probably always felt inferior to your Mother so she overcompensates to make Dudley feel better and more loved than she did.”  I stopped for a moment surveying the room, but no one spoke. They all seemed to be reflecting back on what I was saying, as if they had never considered it before.  “I understand why Fred and George would do it and I have no issue with it because I think that they would prank anyone. But for you guys to not even think outside of another perspective than your own is, well, closed minded.  And don’t you guys always mock Muggles for that kind of closed minded thinking?” They sat there, silent. Hermione looked as though she may start crying at any moment. I felt awful, “Listen, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a buzzkill.  It’s just that everyone has their reasons for being the way that they are. Just in the future, you may want to think about that kind of stuff before just laughing at someone’s misfortune,” I finished wincing slightly. Somehow, I had managed to already upset and distance myself from my old friends.  I knew this was a mistake.

“Wow, April… I guess that’s why you are the Ravenclaw and I’m just a brainy Gryffindor,”  Hermione said seeming to finally find her voice.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m just annoying analytical,”  I said attempting to regain some footing and be more personable.  The other’s sensed my regret and lightly chuckled to ease the tension.  Harry quickly changed the subject to quidditch. Harry and Ron quickly forgot all about my outburst and animatedly talked about the upcoming match.  Hermione, Ginny, and I talked about the upcoming Hogwarts year.

“So, what’s your story, exactly?  I never really got to hear too much about you?”  Ginny asked me

“Well, I wouldn’t expect anything else since I ended up leaving Hogwarts before you started there.  Basically, I was born here in England and then my parents got divorced soon thereafter and my mother moved us to the States, where I was raised, which explains the accent.  Then my father, who you first met as Professor Lupin wanted me to go to Hogwarts, instead of the American equivalent, Ilvermorny. So I went, was sorted into Ravenclaw, and had a fantastic first year.  Then my Abuela fell ill and my mother wanted us to go to Spain to be with her as much as possible before she passed. Before that, I had maybe seen her for a holiday here and there. It was really great getting to know her and my Abuelo.  I ended up being transferred to Beauxbatons which was the best school in the area. Then early in the summer my Abuela passed followed shortly after by my Abuelo-” 

“Oh wow, that’s awful.  I’m so sorry,” Ginny said sympathetically and I gave her a small smile.

“It’s fine, it was good that they left so close together.  I couldn’t have imagined a world where one had to live on. Well, after seeing her parents be so in love even after all those years she decided she would travel the world to try and find that for herself.  She transferred me back to Hogwarts and now I’m living with my dad when she isn’t around,” I finished and realized that Harry and Ron and finished their conversation and were listening to my long origin story.

“Wow, April, we had no idea,”  Ron chimed in. 

“Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all.  I’m glad to be coming back to Hogwarts, even though it is so different from my last school.”  I answered, the idea of people being compassionate about my strange situation was nice but unusual.  After this we talked about this and that, what we thought the year would be like and things of the sort.  

Mrs. Weasley swiftly came in and announced dinner would be starting soon.  We had to get moving and help her to set the table. We gathered everything and went outside to see two older red headed men bashing two large tables together.

“That’s Charlie,” Hermione explained pointing to the shorter one with scars.  “And that’s Bill,” she said pointing to the taller one with long hair. After they were done attacking one another’s tables they set them down very gently and we began placing the settings on the table.  As I rounded the edge of one of the tables I felt two bodies press against both of my shoulders.

“And who might you be?” said the body to my left.

“Hmmm she seems all too comfortable setting a table, an intruder?” answered the one on my right.

“Fred, George don’t be ridiculous,” started Hermione “that’s April.  From our first year. You met her a while ago. It’s Lupin’s daughter,” she continued.  I turned around to the twins and it was nice to be around people who were taller than me.  I had been getting too used to the shortness of my peers.

“Yeah, what she said,”  I added, not knowing what else to add.

“Ohhh, well in that case.  I’m Fred,” said the one that was on my left.

“But more importantly, I’m George,”  I had remembered who they were. The jokesters that I thought were adorable even in my first year.  I took the time to commit the names to memory as I recalled that they liked to switch it up and confuse people.  Fred had very slightly lighter red hair and he also seemed more assertive. George on the other hand had a more aggressive red tint to his hair and seemed to be closely looking at my every move.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both,”  I said politely

“I forgot Lupin’s daughter was American,”  Fred said.

“It is strange, isn’t it?” George retorted still staring at me intently.  I was about to retort that I was in fact not American but I was interrupted.  Then Mrs. Weasley bursted into the yard with assorted foods coming before her.  The food set itself down delicately on the table. Mrs. Weasley called everyone to take their seats and dig in.  I sat with Hermione on my one side and George on the other, Ginny was across from me and Fred next to her directly in front of George.  We sat there eating the bountiful food and talking amongst ourselves until the sun started to go down. 

Mrs. Weasley rushed everyone off to their rooms telling them it would be an early morning for the lot of us.  Hermione, Ginny, and I talked a bit about the upcoming match until we couldn’t keep our eyes open and drifted into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I will definitely be uploading sooner than before. Be sure to leave a Kudos and/or comment so I know how you guys are feeling about this!


	6. Journey to the Cup

I was abruptly woken up by pounding footsteps and Mrs. Weasley’s voice ringing out, “Wake up everyone.  Don’t try to sleep in anymore or you’ll just be late,” the footsteps got louder and I heard the doorknob turn. “C’mon girls, you don’t want to oversleep.  You’ll get plenty of sleep any other day. Get up, get up!” She closed the door and I could hear her footsteps moving along to the other rooms.

Reluctantly I opened my eyes and began to sit up.  Hermione and Ginny did the same, we all nodded groggily to each other as a kind of good morning that we were too tired to announce.  I got up and began getting out my clothes for the day. I decided to keep it simple with my favorite pair of loose high waisted blue jeans, a white tee shirt, and a black windbreaker in case it rained.  I gave up on trying to make my hair look good today, especially since I couldn’t use magic, so I decided on a french braid instead. Then I went to the bathroom to wash my face in another attempt to wake myself up a little more.  To my surprise there was no one else in the bathroom, I guessed that everyone else was still fighting to stay awake. I washed my face with cold water, slapped on some moisturizer and sunscreen. I didn’t bother putting on any makeup because I didn’t really see why I should.  Ever since I figured out some blemish fighting spells during my time at Beauxbatons I had pretty great skin. A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts.

“Oi, what’re you doing in there?! You realize we aren’t going to a ball with the Minister, right?”  The voice yelled still banging on the door. I didn’t think I was taking that long but I guess I have a lot to learn about living in a full house.  I jumped and opened the door frantically.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize someone was waiting, “  I quickly explained. Looking straight in front of me all I saw was a shirtless male torso, a surprisingly well defined one at that, freckles sprinkled the top of his chest.  I tried to regain myself and looked up to find George’s face, I noticed his ears start to become red.

“Oh-uh-sorry, I-uh-thought Ginny was in here,”  he said doing a very bad job at trying to recover his composure.  

“We do look oddly alike,” I said sarcastically.  “Well, it’s all yours, Sir” I added, stepping off to the side and sticking out my arm to lead him there like a loyal butler.

“Why, thank you Ms. Lupin, that’ll be all for today.”  He ended, playing along. It was really nice to see another person who could cover their embarrassment with bad, semi thought out, jokes.

“Thank you, master,”  I finished walking back to the room.  I collected the rest of my things in my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.  The other girls were putting on a little makeup and told me they’d meet me downstairs.  I went down to find that I was the first one down.

“Oh, hi April.  I always think that one of the boys will be first but they are always the slowest ones down,”  Mrs. Weasley greated.

“That’s what I’m here for Mrs. Weasley, to break down gender stereotypes,”  I said jokingly. Mrs. Weasley didn’t really understand and just stood there with wide eyes for a moment.  Thankfully, Mr. Weasley came in shortly after and broke whatever tension was there.

“Hi, sweety, what can I get for you?”  She asked politely, beginning to pour him a cup of tea.

“I’ll have whatever you’re serving today!”  He said very energetic, especially for how early it was.  I sat down next to Mr. Weasley and he talked all about his work for the Ministry and how busy he’s been.  I welcomed the conversation in which I only had to nod and ask some little follow up questions, which allowed me to eat the huge plate Mrs. Weasley had placed in front of me.  While Mr. Weasley’s plate was piled high with assorted bacons and sausages, mine had eggs and potatoes. I looked up at her and smiled

My mother was Jewish and I was raised in that religion, Mrs. Weasley knew to never put a slab of pork on my plate.  I never liked to bring attention to my dietary restrictions or to add something else onto the list that made me different.  My first year was strangest at Hogwarts where it seemed that there wasn’t another Jewish kid in the whole castle. There was the same thing at Beauxbatons but I learned to not make a big deal and only to tell people that asked.  It wasn’t worth the potential hatred or misunderstanding that could ensue. 

Hermione and Ginny came down looking powder fresh.  They took their plates and sat down. The conversation continued, Ron and Harry were the next ones down.  They had to scarf down their food rather quickly as Mr. Weasley explained what a portkey was and why we were on a schedule.  Fred and George then ran down frantically. We all stood and began walking through the front door as Mrs. Weasley gave everyone kisses and said goodbye.  The twins groaned with the agony at the thought of being awake so early without any food. I stayed back from the rest of the group so I was shoulder to shoulder with them.  I reached into my pocket and gave them both two slices of toast each. They smiled down at me.

“Wow, April, how can we ever repay you?”  Asked Fred cheekily, “Would you like to be one of the first to try one of our new state of the art candies?” 

“Even I’m not that thick to take that,”  I answered. “I can’t believe that is how you would repay me for my great act of kindness,”  I said fakingly very hurt.

“I told you, we had a smart one on our hands,”  George said. I smiled up at him as we continued walking.  Even after going for runs at my dads, my legs were still tired from all this crack of dawn walking exercise.  I continued on valiantly, thinking of myself as the best athlete there was. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny all seemed fairly out of breath.  Hermione seemed to be clutching at a stitch in her side. We saw two men walking towards us, the more portly man was waving at us. Our two groups met in the middle, at the bottom of a small hill.  

“Amos,” said Mr. Weasley.

“Arthur,”  said the other man we now knew to be Amos.

“Kids, this is Amos Diggory and this is his son Cedric,”

“Arthur, are these all yours?”  Amos asked looking shocked.

“No, just the ones with red hair.  The other’s are friends of the family Hermione, April, and Harry.”  I could tell that he chose to leave out our last names for my sake but mostly for Harry’s.  But it didn’t seem to work. Amos’ eyes widened as he looked Harry up and down and stopped at his forehead.

“Harry Potter!”  Amos exclaimed. He rambled on for a while, the rest of us were rather tired of the repetitive nature of being Harry Potter’s friend.  We continued up the hill while Amos was still fawning over Harry. However, there was something different about this interaction. Amos was bringing up last year quidditch game that Harry lost due to a dementor.  He kept going on about how great his son was. I looked over at his son, Cedric, he seemed to be getting slightly pink from embarrassment. But that still couldn’t hide his remarkably handsome characteristics. I quickly looked away and quickened my pace so I was next to Hermione and Ginny.  They, well mostly Ginny, was already talking and giggling about the boy. Cedric and I met eyes and he seemed to grow pink again. I lifted my hand and waved awkwardly and he waved back smiling. I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks grow hot.

We arrived at a boring old boot at the top of the hill.  Mr. Weasley explained to hold onto the boot and in moments we were being yanked by the belly button through the air.  I felt like I may have been about to fly off when we hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this story is moving so slowly, I am going to have very little to do this weekend and beginning of next week so I am hoping to get some chapters done then. Please leave any Kudos or comments so I know if anyone is reading or enjoying this. Also George is probably gonna be end game but I think April should have some fun on the way. Let me know what you guys think!


	7. Girl Talk

I began to slowly pick myself up from the ground when an outstretched hand came into view.  I took it, helping me up onto my feet. Looking up I was surprised to see that the hand belonged to Cedric.  The rest of the group was up and beginning to walk over to the tents. 

“Thanks,”  I said smiling up at him.

“Don’t mention it, the first portkey experience is always the worst,”  he smirked back down to me. We started walking side by side with the rest of the group but trailing behind slightly.

“Wait-how did you know it was my first time?”  I inquired.

“Well, it’s just one of those things… you can tell if someone's never ridden a broom and you can tell if someone's never used a portkey.  Knocks the wind right out of you, until you get used to it that is,” he reached up and scratched the back of his neck. He looked so nervous, but why?  “If if makes you feel any better, some of your friends looked like they were about to lose their breakfast,” he laughed.

“It’s good to know I’m not at the back of the pack,”  I looked forward to see that we were technically at the back of the pack and laughed at my bad choice of words. “I guess I meant that more figuratively,”  I finished and we smiled at each other. We continued chatting a bit until we finally reached the tents. It was still early morning so there were very few people out and about among the grounds.  

Even the early morning couldn’t hide the mass amount of witches and wizards on the grounds.  Once we got to the tents there was no end in sight, they went on into the horizon. The only thing visible was a massive stadium at the top of a large hill.  The whole group stopped as we seemed to enter the middle of the tent grounds. Amos went off to the side and expectantly looked at his son.

“Sorry, to interrupt,”  Amos said more to me than his son with a knowing look.  “Cedric, we are this way. It was good to see you Arthur.”  Amos said with a wave.

“Pleasure to spend the morning with you, Amos,”  Arthur said waving him off. But Mr. Weasley seemed to be glad to be rid of him.

“Bye, April.  I’ll try to find you later and we can hang out and check everything out?”  Cedric said to me eagerly.

“Um, yeah sure, bye,”  I felt a little uncomfortable from being called out from the group by him but I tried not to think about it and continued on following Mr. Weasley.  Before I knew it I could feel the twins pressing in on either side of me, sandwiching me.

“OoOh, look at our little April.  Gonna go off and marry a cute little Puff now?”  said Fred jokingly.

“Don’t you think that’s getting a bit ahead of ourselves?” I asked back.

“Ah ha, she doesn’t deny it.  She wants to marry that-that pretty boy Diggory!”  said George more aggressively than I thought necessary.

“Isn’t he older than you?  He’s taller than you for sure,”  I retorted. George looked really hurt for a moment before he realized I was looking at him and he collected himself.  Drawing his attention to a plain tent that he all of a sudden had a lot of interest in.

“Only by a few months, we’re in the same year.  Our birthday is in April, April,” Fred said laughing at his own joke.

“Wow, never heard that one before, especially since my birthday isn’t in April or something,” I said sarcastically.

“Oh, your parents were really original on that one.”  George jumped in.

“Yeah that’s rich coming from Fred and George,”  I countered. Was that too harsh? They broke into laughter and George slapped me on the back.

“Not bad, kid.  Not bad at all,”  Fred said. Just then we came upon a small empty area where Mr Weasley dropped his bags.  

Mr. Weasley explained that he had two tents for us that we needed to put up without the use of magic.  The smaller one would be for the girls and the larger one for the boys. I was very glad that it was just Ginny, Hermione, and myself.  It would be a lot of fun. We laid out the two tents next to each other and began getting to work. Luckily my Abuelo had taken me on a few camping trips so I wasn’t the worst at building ours up.  From the moment that Mr. Weasley laid out the boy’s tent the scent of stuffy cats filled my nostrils, and I thanked whatever entity for ensuring I didn’t have to regularly breath in that smell. 

A little while later both tents were ready.  Hermione, Ginny, and I went into ours and laid our stuff down.

“So… Diggory and you?”  Hermione asked trying to be nonchalant by unpacking some of her things and avoiding my eye contact but seemingly failing miserably.

“What do you mean by that?”  I asked. Why did everyone think that Cedric and I were going to run away together or something after we had one small, meaningless conversation.

“Well, I was just curious about-well-how you get boys to pay attention to you…?”  she asked the last part so quickly it took me a minute to collect what she had just said.

“What?”  I asked chuckling a bit.  Then I looked at her expression that was sincere and a little sad so I stopped my laughing immediately.  “I’m sorry, I thought you were kidding for a minute.” I said quickly hoping she wouldn’t hate me for being so insensitive.  Ginny seemed to round the corner and layed down on one of the cots. She laid on her stomach, resting on her head on her hands, and having her legs up swinging back and forth eagerly.  

“I’m not asking how to talk to boys.  I think I have an ok grasp of that. It’s just… how do you get them to see you as, well, a girl?”  Hermione asked, I could see her usual controlling composure beginning to crack. She sat defeatedly on the cot next to Ginny.

“Oh, Hermione, I’m not sure if I can really explain anything really.  I think if anything it’s the people, or more specifically boys, you are with.  I don’t know if there is really a specific way to break through to Harry or Ron, except from just being your best self and continuing on with your life,”  I paused looking for any type of reaction from Hermione. She lifted her head in a slightly less rejected with a small smile. “Honestly, that’s what’s worked for me.  Taking a break from thinking about boys and instead, I focus on the things that make me happiest. Then I find that my own happiness translates into likeminded people taking notice.  I have to say that those people I’ve found at my best are some really fantastic people that I still talk to today,” I paused waiting for her to pick up on what I was saying. “You are one of those great people I’ve met at my high points, silly,”  I finished.

“Thanks, April,”  Hermione smiled. “Ginny’s advice was just a makeover,” she laughed.

“Hey, I still think it would be a good idea!”  Ginny piped up.

“I mean Ginny isn’t wrong.  Makeovers are never a bad idea,”  I said laughing. “But really, Hermione, you are a fantastic person, a brilliant witch, and a beautiful young woman.  Don’t let anyone, especially not some stupid boy make you feel any differently,” I finished and Hermione got up and gave me a hug.

“I’ve really missed you, April,” Hermione said past my shoulder, still tight in an embrace.

“I’ve missed you too, ‘Mione,” I said, then I felt Ginny hugging us creating a great big group hug.

“Aww, I know I haven’t known you very long April, but I think I love you,”  Ginny said laughing. Then we heard a light rapping on the tent.

“You ladies decent?”  Asked a voice I knew to be Harry’s.  We separated and headed towards the front of the tent.

“Just before we go,” I said, the other two stopped and turned around to face me.  “I really appreciate your friendship and just know that I’m always around to talk about this stuff, dumb stuff, or the more deep stuff.  As far as I know I’m here to stay,” I concluded. The other girls smiled at me before we continued going towards Harry’s voice.


	8. CD & AL WERE HERE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took me longer than I expected to write, but it's also a great deal longer than the other chapters. But I'm really excited about how well this chapter turned out! If you don't like Cedric, don't worry he won't be in the overall story for very long, but I think I'm also making him a lot more likeable. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and I went to collect water for our group while Ginny went with Fred and George to get some firewood.  The four of us were walking around where we thought the water may be and my eyes were shocked at the difference of an hour. People were now up and about, decorations for people’s respective teams were everywhere.  We found a long line of people for the water and stood talking about the game, Harry and Ron were extremely excited. In normal Harry fashion, he knew nothing about the cup and Ron had to explain it to him. I wondered if Ron liked this attention, the fact that he had the opportunity to teach Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, what Bulgaria’s seeker was like, must have striked joy in his ginger heart.  Hermione and I continued our normal conversations about what we thought the upcoming year at Hogwarts would be like. I looked over and saw a man jogging towards me.

As he got closer I distinguished that the man was in fact Cedric Diggory.  I smiled, he was a very fit boy, well that didn’t seem right, he was a man.  I know that he’s only a few months older than the twins but those few months had done a lot for Cedric.  He was very built and seemed very self aware of the space he took up, he wasn’t shy about it. Cedric seemed to have a presence about him that made other girls my age and even young women take notice of the strapping man.

“Hey, April!  I’m glad I ran into you, do you wanna go on a walk?  I can show you around a bit, I already have a feel for the grounds,”  Cedric said animatedly. I couldn’t help but smile. “That is, if you guys are up for this task without her,’” he added kindly turning his attention to the trio.  Ron looked like he was about to hurl and Harry just looked confused.

“Nope, she’s all yours!”  Hermione said so perkily it seemed very out of character.  She then pushed me a little harder than I think she even meant to, and I fell into Cedric.  He quickly caught me around the shoulders and brought me to stand up right beside him.

“Well, I’ll see you guys back at the tent then, before the game,” I said with a wave.  Cedric left one arm around my shoulders as he guided me away from my friends and toward the exuberant town made of tents.

“I think that red haired kid likes you,”  Cedric said eyeing me, still not removing his arm from my shoulders.  I laughed at his remark.

“Ron?  I doubt it, honestly I always thought that him and Hermione would make a better couple,”  I said thinking about their seemingly never ending bickering.

“Oh, I thought that was Harry’s girlfriend?”

“Hm... interesting thought, but wrong again,”  I answered. We kept walking around the other tents, I marveled at the decorations and dedicated fans.  “It looks like the Irish have already started ‘celebrating’”

“Not a moment too soon.  Shall I snag us something?” He asked raising an eyebrow.  This seemed like a trap, it was still morning after all. But my Abuela always told me to never turn down a drink from a trustworthy man.  This man was a Hufflepuff. I liked my chances.

“How about this…”  I said crouching down, he followed my lead and we formed a small two person huddle.  “ We grab some now and then save it for after the game… a celebration of sorts.”

“I like the way you think,” he said.  He brought himself up, dusted off his already pristine clothes and confidently sauntered over to the drunken Irish group.  They seemed to have so much firewhiskey that they had extra bottles on every surface in sight. I stood back in attempt to hide my very obvious underage self.  Cedric went up to one of the women who was already one of the most intoxicated of the group. Looking as manly and studly as he possibly could, puffing out his chest, Cedric talked to the woman for a while.  She kept twisting and flipping her light brown hair around. Blinking her dark brown eyes at him expectantly as they continued their conversation. Who did she think she was? Who did I think I was for posing this question in the first place?  I didn’t know this man, I had no claim on him. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel totally enveloped by this man’s very essence. The way he seemed to just walk through life so easily was remarkable. Finally, she presented him with his own, rather large, jug of firewhiskey.  He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Cedric turned to me and we walked on. I could see her blush from the kiss, then turn to fury when she saw me.

“Cedric,”  I said in a low voice.  I grabbed his arm at his elbow and fastened our pace.  “I was hiding so that she wouldn’t see me. She saw you go directly to me and she isn’t happy about it.  We need to find somewhere to hide, and quick.” He reached down and grabbed my hand, smiling. We ran to the woods after the last row of tents.  We found a large tree and hid the jug in a nearby bush. “How’re we ever going to find this again?” I asked.

“It is right behind one of the largest tents in the area.  But just in case…” Cedric said as he reached in his pocket.  He took out a small swiss army knife and began carving something into the tree.

“Aw, the poor tree.  I didn’t want it to die for our alcoholic dreams,”  I said jokingly.

“Hey, I thought I was the sensitive and overly caring Hufflepuff here.  Wait, I don’t even know what house you’re in. Do you even have a house?  I know nothing about you,” he trailed on. “Most importantly for right now, what is your last name?”

“Um, yeah uh that would be…”  I started. I don’t know why I was so hesitant in telling him.  Well, of course I knew, a lot of the kids at Hogwarts knew who and even what my father was.  Of those students at Hogwarts, I had no idea of knowing who hated me because of my father’s XXXXX beast status, even though the gene never carried on to me.  I took a deep breath and said, “Lupin.” He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. 

“Wow… your Professor Lupin’s daughter?  I had no idea he had a kid. I had no idea he was married.  I mean, I have no concept of his life so I’m not sure why I would assume anything,”  he rambled and then stopped for a moment deep in thought. Then he looked straight into my eyes and asked, “why don’t I know you?”

“First of all, I don’t think my dad particularly likes other people knowing his business.  He’s always been that way, even with me,” I started. “Second, my parents are divorced and they practically never see each other.  So it’s no real shock that you wouldn’t know. Most of the wizarding community has little to no idea what happened. Lastly, I only went to Hogwarts my first year,”  I continued. “I went to another wizarding school in Europe for the past two years, so I was never at Hogwarts when he taught there. But now I’m back to Hogwarts this year,” I finished.  He was still carving something into the tree but stopped at my last sentence. I walked over so I could see what he was doing. In the tree it was etched, CD & AL WERE HERE. I looked up and smiled at him.  “Looks great.”

“Thanks, Lupin.  No I can’t say that, it feels too weird,” he said squirming a bit, I chuckled.

“You can always just call me April.”

“April it is.  How old are you by the way,” he asked.  It felt a little out of nowhere but I guessed that maybe we were just on this whole getting to know me train of thought.

“14, my birthday is in, well… April,”  I answered. He looked a little uncomfortable at my answer.

“Oh,” he remarked, looking disappointed.  He went and sat on the ground with his back against our tree.

“Why, is that a bad age to be?”  I inquired, I followed suit and sat down next to him in the grass.

“No, well, not necessarily.  I just thought you were older, closer to my age.  I’m 16 and I’ll be 17 in September,” he brought his eyes down averting my gaze, looking defeated.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, age is just a number.”  I said wiggling my eyebrows because of how ridiculous that felt to say.  “Also, I’d say that my well traveled and worldly past makes me way more mature than others my age.”  Cedric peered up, meeting my eyes again. “Plus, how many people, let alone 14 year olds, know three languages?”  I asked, feeling rather proud of my worldliness.

“I guess you’re right,”  he seemed to visibly perk up.  “If anything, you are probably more mature than me!”  he laughed. 

We continued on talking for quite a while, conversation seemed to flow so easily.  I didn’t really have to try with him, it was really nice. He talked to me about being the Hufflepuff seeker and captain as well as a Hufflepuff prefect.  AKA how it felt to be the perfect student. I explained my disinterest in quidditch. He was at first taken aback but then took the time to talk me through it, and more importantly why he loved it.  I began to understand the world a little bit better through his eyes. Cedric liked the sometimes disjointed way that quidditch felt with different positions work to do completely separate things. But he loved the fact that he was on a team working towards a common goal, just in different ways.  His eyes sparkled when he talked about the things he loved, I couldn’t help but wish that maybe one day he would sparkle thinking about me. 

I talked to him about Beauxbatons and how I found my corners to call home.  That I loved losing myself in music either with contemporary or ballet dance or singing.  I talked about my favorite horses that started feel like my own since I spent so much time with them.  If I was ever frustrated, I would go for a ride. More recently I’d been running to do something to physically get away, at least for a little while.  Cedric seemed to understand what I was talking about which made me feel a lot better. I even talked about my grandparents and the lasting impact they’ve made on my life in such a short amount of time.  Cedric just sat there listening, soaking up all the information I was giving him. I was so entranced in our conversation I didn’t realize how late it was becoming. I looked out and the sun was beginning set.

“Oh, shit.  I didn’t realize how late it was getting,”  I exclaimed.

“Yeah, me neither.  I’ll walk you back to your site,” he answered.  We got up from leaning against our tree, then a thought occurred to me.

“Wait, how do you know where my tent is?”

“Uhm, yeah about that,” he paused scratching the back of his neck.  “I asked my dad where your camp would be and then I asked around about Harry to find you, since I figured you guys would be together.  I don’t know if Harry realizes how much people pay attention to his presence,” he said nervously as we walked through the first few rows of tents.

“Oh, Harry definitely knows,”  I said. “You know…” I paused for dramatic effect, he seemed very anxious and I couldn’t help but mess with him.  “You’re lucky that you’re cute,” I said smiling. I could start to recognize some of the decorations from earlier, meaning we were getting closer to my tent.

“Excuse me?”  He said jokingly.  “Did you just call me cute?”  Cedric posed a little with the cutest puppy dog eyes, they put mine to shame.  I laughed again and felt my cheeks grow warm.

“Oh, shove it.  You know every girl fawns over you,” I said trying to recover from my own embarrassment.  “You wouldn’t have been able to snag that firewhiskey if it weren't for the fact you know you’re gorgeous.”

“Oh, stop it,” he said flattering himself and fanning himself dramatically.  Finally, we reached the tent I knew to be mine. “Ah, well it’s been a pleasure getting to know you, April María Lupin,”  he even pronounced the accent for my middle name, my heart melted a little. Cedric reached down to my hand and gave it a light squeeze.  “I’ll see you after the game,”

“I’ll see you then, at our spot,”  I replied, my cheeks started to hurt.  I didn’t realized how much I’d been smiling from being with him.  He grinned back at me and turned to leave. Before he turned the corner I saw him look over his shoulder to look at me one last time.  My heart fluttered and I entered the girls tent.

I saw Hermione and Ginny rush towards me out of the corner of my eye.  All I could do was lay down on the cot I claimed as my own. I couldn’t stop smiling, it took me a second to come back down to earth long enough to listen to what they were trying to say to me.

“We have so many questions!  How did it go? What were you guys doing?  Geez, Hermione, she won’t stop smiling. I feel like her face is about to crack under the pressure,”  Ginny teased.

“We don’t really have time right now.  You came at just the right time, Mr. Weasley is about to come by any minute for us to go.  At least the boy is good at getting you back on time,” Hermione said shortly. I couldn’t help but hear a tinge of hurt and disappointment in her voice.  I guess she was ok with me leaving for a little while but still wanted me to hand out with her, I felt awful. This brought me out of my strange trance immediately.

“I’m really sorry, Hermione.  I’ll make it up to you. I am sticking by your side for the entire game.  You’ll want to get rid of me, you’ll be so sick of me,” I said trying to pester her into forgiveness.  She laughed and I beamed.

We walked arm in arm to the boys tent to go to the game.  I couldn’t get Cedric out of my head. His voice, laugh, smile, the way I felt when his hand touched mine… shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope some of you guys picked up on my little sparkle pun. Anyway, make sure to leave a Kudos or comment to let me know what you guys thought of this chapter!


	9. The Quidditch World Cup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!

Hermione, Ginny, and I entered the boys tent and found them all still shuffling to get themselves together.  They looked up for a moment, acknowledged our presence, and quickly moved on. All of them were wearing assorted green colors in favor of the Irish team.  Eventually, they got everything together and we were on our way up the hill towards the stadium. I was standing next to Hermione towards the front of the group, talking asking her about her day and such.  She explained that Harry and Ron just walked around all day and took naps. I could understand why she was frustrated with me for not being around, I felt really bad. I shouldn’t let a boy come in between my friends and me.  I should be able to do both, right? We continued to walk and talk until finally we reached the stadium. We started going up the stairs, Mr. Weasley explained that we’d be near the top in the Minister’s box. Somehow, I got separated from Hermione and I ended up towards the back of the group with George.   
“Enjoyed the festivities today?”  George asked. I wasn’t sure if he knew I spent the whole day with Cedric or not.   
“Yeah, the Irish really know how to pregame,”  I said laughing to myself, George joined in.   
“Does Cedric know how to pregame?”  He asked sounding very bitter.   
“Oh, I mean-he’s just-we just talked,”  I said stuttering over my words, not sure why I felt bad.  “How did you even know we were hanging out?” I implored.   
“Harry nearly spilled all the water they got when he ran in and told us. Ron seemed pretty sickened by the whole thing.”

“That seems rather strange for Harry.  I wouldn’t normally think he would care,” I added.  
“I thought so too.  I think Harry may have a little crush on you,”  
“Ah, don’t be silly,” I said quickly.  “He was probably just weirded out to see me talking to a Hufflepuff or something,” I made up as I spoke.  “I mean other than me, do you guys ever hang out with people outside of Gryffindor?” I asked trying to shift the hot seat away from myself.   
“Hey, I hang out with plenty of people from other houses! I always hangout with-well, I mean there’s always…” he paused realizing I was right.  “I don’t matter in this conversation. Don’t try to change the subject,” he said trying to sound serious, but I could see right through it.

“No, I don’t think that Harry likes me as anything other than a friend.  He was probably eager to tell you guys that I was with Cedric so you could pick on him,” I said both justifying the reasoning to myself and to George.  There was a reason I was a Ravenclaw, I always thought it easier to trick people into thinking what I wanted them to. Nothing malicious, but I understand that I do have a certain power of persuasion.  “I mean we were all there listening to Cedric’s dad out down Harry. Amos would shut up about the fact that Cedric beat Harry at Quidditch last year. Just think about how proud of Cedric he is about that, Amos probably talks about it all the time at home.  But that’s beside the point, Harry’s feelings were hurt and he probably wanted Fred and you to chime in and tease Cedric a bit.” I finished taking a breath. I tend to talk fairly fast when I’m on a role like that to try and make sure I get all my thoughts out before they escape my disorganized brain.  George nodded in acceptance.

“Um yeah sure, what you said,”  he said slowly trying to piece together my quick rampage of ideas.  I got him though, he didn’t ask me about Harry or Cedric the rest of the way up, which wasn’t for another ten minutes.  I wasn’t afraid of heights but my mind couldn’t help but consider what would happen if I were to simply fall over the railing.  The railing didn’t look all the sturdy to begin with. “You thinking about jumping?” George interjected into my thoughts. I looked up at him a tad mystified, did I look that suicidal?  “I do it all the time. Just think if I were to just slip and fall. If I were to add the wrong ingredient into our candies and try it,” he said looking down at me, I smiled back.

“Yeah, I do it, too.  Can’t help it, I think it’s the human condition,”  I answered back. He smiled back at me.

“Fred says he never feels that way.”

“Well then, either Fred is a liar or he lacks an imagination,”  I answered a little more cruel than I had intended.

“Blimey, April, have a heart.  Maybe some compassion,” Fred met us at the top.  He grabbed his heart, feigned being truly hurt by my comment, and I beamed.  It was nice to not be taken so seriously. I found a seat next to Hermione that she saved for me, Ginny was sitting on my other side.  She was so excited about the game that she helped me to get more exhilarated. Ludo Bagman began announcing and soon the game was underway.  I kept seeing Ron trying his very hardest not to look at the Veela and failing miserably. So much so that Ginny kept moving his Omnioculars away from the ladies.  It was so strange to think of my Abuela doing these dances back in her day. Thinking of my Abuela in that moment was really nice. It was nice to realize that she had such a lasting impact on my life in such a short period of time.  That I would be able to see things and automatically think of her, have her in my heart.

The game continued with Ireland very much in the lead.  Krum did some amazing flying work that drew me into the game even more.  He ended up catching the snitch but still losing the game. The crowd went wild and I even joined in.  Overall, it was a great experience, I was glad I didn’t end up wussing out and came. Slowly, everyone began filing out of the stadium.  The drunken Irish continued their celebrations the entire way out of the stadium. After what felt like forever, we finally ended up coming to our set up.  Everyone was singing and skipping with glee. We turned the corner and I saw Cedric standing farther back away from our set up. He caught my eye but I could tell that the others didn’t see him.  I pulled Hermione’s elbow back to make her stay back with me before entering the tent.

“Cedric is here,”  I said to her with my back facing the boy.  She looked up and I could tell she spotted him.  “If you don’t want me to go, and you want me to stay and celebrate with you, that’s totally fine.  Just tell me the honest truth. You are way more important than him,” I finished looking straight into her eyes looking for any sign of disappointment.

“Don’t be silly.  Go, just make sure you tell me everything.  I usually don’t care for gossip, but I care immensely for you,”  she answered. I thought I might cry, she really was the sweetest to me.  “I doubt I’ll even have to cover for you, they’re all so preoccupied in their own worlds.  But I’ll make sure to tell Mr. Weasley so he doesn’t have to worry. Just make sure you come back before the sun goes up and we have to leave,”  Hermione answered nonchalantly.

“You’re the best.  I’ll make sure to give you the play by play,”  I said smiling down at her. I gave her a hug and jogged over to Cedric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this being so short. Next chapter will inevitably be a lot more juicy! Don't forget to leave any kudos or comments to lmk you're out there and care?


	10. After Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took me, I've been on the never ending quest to get a job post-grad while also having a job.

As I jogged up to Cedric I could see his smile grow and I couldn’t help but beam back at him.  He picked me up and wrapped me in a tight hug. This was weird, right? We had only known each other for a day, less than a day in fact.  But I couldn’t help it, I felt happy and safe with him. 

“Oh, sorry,” he said awkwardly as he placed me back on the ground.  “That was an incredible match. Irish won of course but Krum couldn’t help but be the best seeker on the pitch,”  he added trying to recover.

“Yeah, it really was something,”  I replied hoping that this quidditch small talk wouldn’t last very long.

“I believe we have an afterparty to get to,”  he said reaching out for my hand.

“That we do,” I answered accepting his hand in mine.  We walked past the seemingly never ending sea of drunken Irish fans.  We walked by the largest tent and back towards the woods where we knew our tree to be.  Cedric cast lumos, as it was now dark, to find our hidden loot. I sat against out tree and allowed my eyes to adjust to the dark.  It wasn’t too dark due to the celebrations going on a few yards away and the bright moonlight beaming down through the woods. Cedric sat beside me and I heard the pop of the cork coming out of the firewhiskey.

“Ladies first,”  Cedric said sitting down beside me and handing me the large jug.

“Oh, wow so kind of you,” I said sarcastically, I could tell he was trying to pass the hot seat to me.  I grabbed the jug and took a swig, I wasn’t about to let Cedric think I was a little bitch. As I swallowed, my throat burned slightly but not in an all bad way.  I had a few drinks here or there at Beauxbatons as it wasn’t as strange in that culture. But this was a different drink entirely, my stomach began to feel warmer as the firewhiskey worked its way down.  I pushed the jug back to him, “Your turn, pretty boy Diggory.”

“Ah, so you think I’m pretty and cute,” he said teasingly.  Taking the jug from me he winked and took a large gulp. He coughed for a moment trying to regain his composure and I couldn’t help but giggle.  “Yep, goes down so smooth. That’s the good stuff,” he said in a deeper voice mimicking an older man. We laughed for a while and Cedric dove into talking about the game while we passed the firewhiskey back and forth between us.  I listened intently but didn’t have much to add to the conversation.

“...and the way Krum dove to really fake out the other seeker was incredible.  I was told I couldn’t be a seeker because I’m bigger, Krum proves my point. The size of the seeker doesn’t matter, the skill does,” he paused looking at me.  “Sorry, I guess I’m nervous or something and I’m babbling,” he said slowly.

“Really?  I think it’s the alcohol,” I said perking up at the sudden change of subject.  “What would you even be nervous about?” I asked hesitantly.

“Nothing, you’re right, it’s probably just the alcohol.”  He said this very quickly as if he wanted this part of the conversation to be over, “Tell me something.  Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know yet.” I stopped to think for a moment. Should I tell him about this or no?  Would it change our entire dynamic? Would he no longer be able to talk to me in the same way he has been? I took a deep breath and another swig.  It seemed to burn slightly less as I got more used to it, or more drunk.

“Hmm, well, you know those mascots the Romanian team had?” I asked.

“This feels like a trap,” he answered and took the bottle from me and took a gulp.  “But yes I do remember the Veela on the field, rather hard not to notice,”

“Yeah… well, my Abuela was a Veela.”  I continued on with my story quickly as to not allow him to interject.  I wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say on the subject quite yet. “After fleeing to America to escape the Holocaust she began touring with a group of Veela across the globe to dopey no-maj’s who liked to look at pretty girls.  They had a very large stint in Spain where they toured about 20 cities. At one of the first, she met a handsome Spaniard. He waited for her backstage and told her that if she were to be with him, he would spend everyday together making sure she was the happiest woman.  She, of course, rejected him right away. She thought he was cute but thought it was weird, they didn’t really know each other at all. He was just basing this off of looks, she thought.”

“But then he kept going to every show after that,”  I carried on. “He would stay after, they would go out for some drinks after.  Every night he left her, he’d make the same promise. He’d make her so happy, they’d be so happy together.  As the tour continued they started going on adventures in whatever city they were in. She’d do her show, he’d attend, they’d go out after, and he’d promise her a happy life full of love.  Finally, at the last show she couldn’t imagine her life without him. She had fallen in love with the country and the man. They stayed, married, had my mother, and he kept his promise. They ended up dying within hours of each other.”  I looked Cedric in his eyes and he seemed mystified. I waited for what seemed like forever for a response.

“Oh wow, that makes so much sense!”  He exclaimed, I raised an eyebrow in confusion.  “You’re a quarter Veela! I thought I was crazy. Here I was so instantly taken with you, and now I know why,” he shook his head slightly and looked at the ground.

“Um, ok, sorry.  Well, I’m glad I told you then so we can both move on with our lives.  You no longer have to be under my transe. You are now released,” I said trying to make light of the slight aching I felt in my chest.  I was right, he only liked me because of that. He just thought I was pretty, he didn’t care about our conversations, he was just another boy.

“No, no, no,”  he said still shaking his head.  He lightly grabbed my wrist to gain my full attention and continued.  “That is how it started, definitely. I thought I was going crazy because I had never seen someone seemingly glow like you do.  But then I got to hang out with you and get to know you, talk to you. You are so much more than someone who glows because of their external appearance.  You glow because of this amazingly unique personality that you have underneath that. Honestly, I feel like I can be myself around you and I don’t know if I’ve ever really felt that way with anyone.  As much as I feel like I need to impress you, I feel like nothing but being myself will do that. It's the persona of the Quidditch Seeker and Prefect that I think turns you off the most. You have no idea how refreshing that is,”  he finished looking deep into my eyes. Orange light filled his face and I could see it so clearly. How authentic and honest he was being with me. I put my hand over the one on my wrist and smiled up at him. Our faces got closer and I closed my eyes.  I could feel his breath on my lips. I heard terrified screams coming from the camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave some comments to let me know what you guys think! I think I'll have it move along a bit quicker after the World Cup. Should I do longer chapters?


	11. The World Cup Riot

I turned my head toward the camp and my eyes were met with chaos.  Fire was erupting from some of the tents and people were running towards us.  Well, not us, but the forest. I looked back at Cedric, his face was contorted in a horrific expression.  He stood up quickly and wobbled a little bit. I could see he was about to run towards the commotion but I grabbed him by the wrist before he could move.  I stood and pulled back on him so he stayed still and looked me in the eye.

“Don’t be dumb, Cedric.  Are you listening to me?”  I asked looking deep into his eyes for recognition.  He nodded and I continued, “listen, we shouldn’t go running into the flames that other people are running away from.  Neither one of us is of age, we can’t actually do anything to help. The best thing we can do is follow the other’s, it’ll keep us safe and that is best thing that we can do for our families.  We need to be smart about this, ok?” I finished quickly hoping I got through to him. He looked at me and I could see his face become less stressed as my idea came to formation in his head.

“You’re right, of course,” he said slowly.  He was still looking at me, well staring into my eyes then to my mouth and back again, as if my eyes were going to tell him something that my mouth hadn’t yet.  Then he grabbed my face in both hands and crashed his lips on mine. I was shocked to say the least. Somehow it felt like he put every bit of passion in his body, into that kiss.  The flaming tents acted as our fireworks.  _ Wait, what the fuck?  You drunk bitch, people could be dying.  People are screaming and running past you.  Instead of being proactive about it, you’re here kissing a boy you met earlier today! _  I came back into my body and pushed Cedric away.  I could almost feel the firewhiskey drain from my body, leaving me stone cold sober.

“C’mon, Cedric we should get moving.”  I tried to act as though the situation was no big deal.  I grabbed his hand so we wouldn’t get separated and began moving with the traffic of people, deeper into the woods.  I felt bad, I didn’t dislike Cedric. I did like him, there was just something holding me back, I felt slightly sick to my stomach in a way that had everything to do with nerves and nothing to do with the alcohol.  Suddenly, I was nudged off to the side rather aggressively. Cedric was next to me and moved his arm around my shoulder to keep us together. I heard rambling of a few French girls, and even with the dim lights of a few lumos charms I could see who it was.  Louise.

“Est-ce que c’est April?” ( _ Is that April? _ )  I heard from the nearby tree stub she was sitting on.  Louise was one of those people you were unfortunate enough to meet.  She had such pale skin that I had thought she was a vampire when I first met her.  Louise had short dark brown hair clipped in a short and tight bob, she wasn’t fat but she wasn’t really thin either.  She took school mean girl bullying to a whole new level. The only way you ever knew if she hated you or not is if she let you know.  However, she would never just tell you. She would use about 10 other people to eventually let you know that she spread a nasty rumor about you.  After a quick run in during my first year at Beauxbatons I steered clear and I figured she’d forgotten about me. Apparently I was wrong.

“Mais qu'est-ce que tu fais là?  I mean...um, salut, Louise.” ( _ What are you doing here?  I mean… um, hi, Louise. _ )  I stammered trying to cover for my surprise.  Cedric appeared a bit confused by the other girl and kept looking between us like a tennis match.

“She comes to England and all of a sudden she doesn’t remember French?”  Louise remarked in a horribly thick French accent, her two friends laughed on cue.  “C'est un nouveau niveau de stupidité, même pour vous, Lupin.” ( _ That’s a new level of stupidity, even for you, Lupin. _ )

“Allez, Louise, va te faire foutre. Il y a beaucoup de merde en ce moment. Je pense que vous pouvez vous calmer un peu.” ( _ Come on, Louise, fuck off.  There’s a lot of shit going on right now.  I think you can calm down a little. _ )  I was tired and she was pissing me off.  If we were back at school, I wouldn’t really care and I would brush her remarks off to the side.  But for all we know there could be people dying and she’s picking petty fights with me.

“Bien, présente-moi plutôt ton nouveau petit ami. J'imagine que c'est au revoir Benoît.  Combien de temps cela a-t-il pris?” ( _ Fine, introduce me to your new boyfriend instead.  I guess it’s goodbye Benoît. How long did that take? _ )  She leapt off the tree stump and strode towards Cedric with an outstretched hand.  He shook it in his. I could tell that she was expecting him to kiss it and this put her off guard, which was more than a little amusing to me.

“Honnêtement? Ce n'est pas ton affaire. Nous devrions vraiment y aller. Merci pour la grande conversation comme d'habitude, Louise.” ( _ Honestly?  It’s none of your business.  We should really get going. Thanks for the great talk as usual, Louise. _ )  And with that I grabbed Cedric’s hand and kept walking deeper into the woods where I could hear more conversations.  I saw Cedric dumbly wave at the girls as I pulled him away.

“Friends of yours?”  He asked as he caught up with me.

“I know you don’t speak French but that couldn’t have sounded like pleasant conversation,”  I said incredulously.

“To be quite honest French always sounds to me like a lot of coughing and gagging.  Never sounds overly polite,” he finished innocently, slurring his words a little. I looked at him for a moment and stopped walking as we reached a bigger group of people and I felt more safe.

“To answer your question, no we were definitely not friends.  Louise was like the conniving mean girl of Beauxbatons. She tormented me when I first arrived and I just avoided her at all costs after that.”  I paused thinking back on the time when she was so offended my American accented French she poured steaming hot bouillabaisse on me and I was rushed to the infirmary.  That was enough to make sure I steered clear of her from then on.

“Well, I’m sorry I didn’t keep us farther away from them from the start.  I just thought you were catching up. Talking about Benoît…” he paused searching my face.  “Who is that by the way?”

“Of course that’s what you were able to take away from the conversation,”  I said laughing to myself. I was hoping that if he didn’t understand our conversation that I wouldn’t have to explain this either, I was apparently wrong.  “An old boyfriend, nothing too crazy. We broke up when I found out that I had to come back to Hogwarts. He didn’t want to do the whole ‘long distance thing’ and honestly I couldn’t blame him.  I was ready for a fresh start too.” I finished so convincingly I almost believed it. The truth is that he did break up with me when I found out I was going back to Hogwarts. What I failed to mention that this was also the same time that my grandparents died.  Of course, I wanted to cry on the shoulder of my boyfriend who was also my best friend, but I couldn’t do that. I was one of those silly 13 year old girls who dropped all of her friends for a boyfriend. So when he ended it, I felt more alone than ever. I spent the summer wallowing and told myself that I would never allow myself to put a relationship before my friends ever again.  I told myself that I would leave him in the past and move toward a new beginning, not forgetting the lessons he taught me.

“So an innocent 13 year old relationship, was it?”  Cedric asked me bringing me out of my own thoughts.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that… he was 15 when we started seeing each other.  He was 16 when it ended, things got as serious as any first teenage love does.  I keep telling you, Diggory, I am a woman way beyond my physical age.” I finished trying to lighten the mood.  Benoît and my relationship was extremely intense. The kind of intense that I thought would last forever. Looking back, unsurprisingly, it didn’t last.  Trying to avoid looking at Cedric out of fear of what he would say next, I took in my surroundings. To my surprise, my gaze was met by two tall gingers standing with a short girl with the same hair, but longer.  I walked over, not grabbing Cedric to follow. He could do what he wanted, and quite honestly I was sick of feeling like I had to drag him along. 

“I’m so glad I found you guys!”  I said, wrapping Ginny in a tight hug.  I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if I didn’t come across anyone from the Weasley clan, and now I was extremely relieved that I didn’t have to find out.

“Us too, April.  We were so worried about you,”  Ginny explained. “Especially since we hadn’t seen you since the game.  Hermione said you were ok but-” she was cut off by the sight of Cedric behind me.  Fred enveloped me in a quick hug that he seemed to be laughing into, I rolled my eyes.  I turned and hugged George, I could feel his muscles tighten from my touch and soon relax.  He enveloped my torso in a way that felt like a home away from home. I heard a throat clear itself and realized that we were probably embracing for a hair too long and I’d actually closed my eyes.  My head just fit so perfectly, below his chin on his chest. Because of my height this didn’t happen often. It was hard for me to let go, it felt right. I shook the feeling and released immediately.  I was happy that the moonlight and a few lumos charms were the only source of light so no one would be able to see the fire bursting onto my cheeks. 

“Greetings Diggory, welcome to the woods.  A few boys are trying to chat up a Veela if you’d care to join them.  We aren’t really very interesting and for once I may be telling the truth,”  Fred said to Cedric and I couldn’t help but smile. I felt like I was in the warm protective hands of the Weasley’s.  Better yet, I was with Fred and George who I knew would be able to put a smile on my face no matter the circumstance. There was something so nice about not having to be the one with my head on straight.  With them, I felt like we would get to our destination together but I didn’t need to fret because we were all in it together. Cedric made me feel like my Abuela in the way that I felt I had to look after him tonight.

“I think I’m good here with you guys.  If that works for you,” Cedric answered quickly, smiling big.  Before he finished he was standing so close I could feel his left pec on my right shoulder.  I didn’t like the protective air he seemed to be trying to project.

“Not a problem!”  Ginny said excitedly looking from Cedric to myself and back again.  I saw Fred look to George and even in the low light I could see George rolling his eyes.  I plastered a smile on my face and looked back to Ginny. We idly chatted, well somehow Fred and George had us all laughing even with the heavy concern of the evening weighing on all of us. Finally, we noticed people heading back towards the camp.  We looked towards the site, the fires were extinguished and whatever darkness was once there was gone. However, something stuck out, a green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth was hovering over the campground. I turned around to face George who was still walking.  I guess he could see the worry from deer in headlights look on my face. He simply smiled, put his arm around my shoulder, stood with me, and pointed towards the group of people that were making the symbol fade. I let go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I felt Cedric weave his fingers in mine on the other side of me and give me a reassuring smile.  Together as a strange trio we followed Fred and Ginny towards the tent. When we neared closer towards the Weasley’s tents Cedric paused and pulled my hand, pulling me away from George rather abruptly. 

“She’ll catch up with you guys in a minute, just wanted to say bye!”  He shouted to the group. Fred and Ginny were farther away which explained the shouting.  I could’ve sworn I saw a disappointed look from George, he seemed to quickly shake it off and jog towards the other two.  “Hey, sorry,” he said tugging me out of my thoughts on George. “I just wanted to steal a moment with you,” he explained.  This internally made me more mad than I think he actually deserved. I didn’t like the idea of being dragged away from my friends.  I felt like Cedric was the exact opposite of what I wanted my Hogwarts experience to be, revolving around a man. I looked up at him, trying to silence my inner thoughts for the moment to simply listen to what this pretty boy wanted to tell me.  “I’m sorry if I didn’t do the right thing. Honestly, I drank too much and you seemed to kind of get over it inhumanly quick,” I smiled up at his innocence. “I should’ve been there for you but instead I continually stood there like a dunce, trying to make out how many trees I was actually seeing and if I still had five fingers on each hand.  For some reason I really thought that I had ten fingers on each hand.” He said splaying out his fingers in front of his face rather comically. I couldn’t help but laugh, I grabbed his hand in mine and brought it down.

“Not all of us have the great talent for holding our firewhiskey like me, I guess”  I said laughing and he smiled down at me. He was happy to see I wasn’t holding a grudge over this inadequacy.  “Anyway, I should probably head back so I can try to beat Mr. Weasley and keep the others from worrying. I had fun, well before… ya know,”  I finished trailing off towards the end. I meant more the whole riot thing but I think his self centered nature made him think I was talking about him again.  I didn’t feel like explaining myself to help his bruised manhood.

“Well, goodnight then.  I’ll see you at Hogwarts,” he finished smiling sweetly.

“Goodnight, Cedric,” I ended.  I kissed him on the cheek turned away and jogged towards the Weasley tents. 

I made it back before the others and sighed a breath of relief.  I stuck my head into the boys tent quickly to let them know I was back ok and then went to join Ginny.  She sat excitedly on her cot in her PJs waiting for me. The sight brought a genuine smile to my face. I quickly changed into some sweatpants, a sports bra, and a baggy zip up.  I sat on my cot and began telling her all about the night, from the firewhiskey, to my account of the riot, to Louise. She explained the fear of being woken up by her father in the dead of night.  I felt bad that I wasn’t here to help. I was worried about Hermione and Ginny assured me that if anyone could make it out of the riot unscathed it was her. She, of course, was right. Hermione returned about 10 minutes later and recounted her own story as she collapsed on her own cot.  Shortly after we extinguished the lamp and I presume we all fell asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow.

* * *

 

The next morning, Hermione was up first and we already had everything packed up and ready to go.  I decided the quick trip back wasn’t worth changing for so I simply shoved my feet in my white sneakers, slung my bag around my shoulders and headed out.  When I stepped out I came face to face, or more so face to chest with George. He looked down at my chest and then quickly and wide eyed back to my face.

“Really, George?  You’re embarrassed by the sight of a sports bra?  The least sexy bra in existence?” I teased him, but also zipped up my sweatshirt smiling.  His ears turned bright red and he tried to pass it off as no big deal. I felt light excited flapping in my stomach and I couldn’t help but smile.  We began walking with the group to the portkeys.

“So are you staying with us ‘till we hop on 9 ¾?” He asked, I could tell he was eager to change the subject.

“Nah, gonna spend the next week with my dad.  We haven’t spent that much time together for years, really.  I’m excited to go back to school shopping with him. We haven’t been to Diagon Alley since I first got my wand,”  I answered excitedly. It was really nice talking to George, it was easy and I felt like he actually cared about the things that I had to say.  I was genuinely interested in the things he had to say.

“Oh, I suppose that does make sense, considering…. Well, I look forward to seeing you on the train back then.  I’ll make sure to save you a seat with Fred, Lee, and I,” he said scratching the back of his neck. 

“Are you trying to induct me into your prankster gang?”  I asked, smiling slightly. I don’t know what it was, but for some reason I couldn’t stop smiling around him.  I felt so stupid, my cheeks began to hurt.

“Well, I do think that the world of pranks does need more of a female presence at Hogwarts these days,” he smiled a slightly crooked smile that made me suddenly flush with warmth.  “But actually, I just think you are a supreme gal. Also, I don’t know how many friends you’ll have when you get back... but, I definitely want to be at the top of your roster, even if we aren’t in the same house,”  he finished sweetly putting an arm around my shoulder and bringing me closer to him. Somehow, even though we were just camping he smelled good, at least to me. He had a musky lavender scent about him that was intoxicating and unlike anything I’d ever smelled before.

“Well, I’m obviously honored.  I’ll have to pencil you into what I’m sure will be a busy train ride filled with many social calls,”  I joked. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I would be walking into when I stepped into the great hall on the first day, let alone the train ride getting there.  George and I joked a while longer until we eventually reached the man’s house. He seemed pretty out of it, we grabbed onto our portkey and we were soon within sight of the Weasley’s home.  I walked with Ginny and Hermione back to the house and Hermione insisted that I write to her as soon as I got my class schedule to see if anything lined up and what subjects we’d be great study buddies for.  Mrs. Weasley enveloped everyone in worried hugs and she sent me to the fireplace. I waved a last goodbye and bid a see you soon to all. I stepped into the fireplace, threw down my floo powder, and clearly announced “Lupin cottage!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is so immensely delayed. I was getting kinda bored of this story to be entirely honest. But I think I found good ground to continue on! This chapter was definitely a lot longer to get us out of the damn world cup!   
> Like usual please leave a kudos and let me know what you guys think, I really appreciate any feedback!


	12. Diagon Alley

Abruptly, I arrived in the warmth of my father’s cottage and was enveloped in his arms.  His musk filled my nostrils and I knew that I was home.

“I was so worried about you.  I’ll have to send word to your mother.  Even she reads the prophet. She must be going mad.  I regret ever telling her I got you a ticket,” he sputtered out quickly.  He was holding my shoulders and giving me the once over, as if to make sure that I was still in one piece.  He went over to his desk, quickly scribbled on a piece of parchment, attached it to Swoops’ leg, and she was off into the morning sky.  There was another owl sat next to her that seemed to be a bit larger, he watched as she flew out next to him, a slight tinge of jealousy in his eyes.  

“Now that that’s over and done with, tell me about everything!”  He sat down at the kitchen table and I sat with him. I mulled over what I should and shouldn’t tell him.  I obviously couldn’t tell him about Cedric, and especially not the firewhiskey for that matter. So I told him my story with a few bits of information disguised under having girl time with Hermione and Ginny.  He looked so happy, even with the dark bags under his eyes. I assumed with the full moon the previous night he was already on edge, adding the whole riot to the situation couldn’t have helped his stress levels.

“So since Ginny, Fred, George, and I got separated from the others we headed back when the coast seemed clear.  Hermione joined us not much later. I think that’s about it to be entirely honest. We missed the worst part of the riot.  Our tent stayed intact and we were able to get a few hours of rest before heading back today,” I finished my story being glad that the fibbing was finally over.  I hoped he wouldn’t ask me more detailed questions.

“Well, sounds like you had an excellent time, well, except for the whole riot thing.  You got two letters while you were gone. Quite the popular girl, aren’t we?” He said smiling proudly at me.  He got up and walked back over to his desk and picked up a larger letter and a smaller role of parchment. I could see the Hogwarts seal and I could hardly contain my excitement.  “The roll came just an hour before you arrived from this fellow,” he gestured at the owl in the room. “Seems he won’t leave without a response. I expect that you are still pretty tired so feel free to go up to bed,”  he said sliding the papers towards me. “I was thinking we could go to Diagon Alley tomorrow for your supplies?” He finished as I grabbed the papers and began to stand.

“Sounds great, Dad.  Can’t wait! Ya know we haven’t gone to Diagon Alley together since my first year?”  I asked thinking back on the years past.

“I remember.  Ollivander took a while to figure you out, didn’t he.”

“Sure did.  I’ll see you later,”  I said kissing him on the cheek before running upstairs to my room, the mystery owl followed behind me.  Once I reached my comfy bed, I couldn’t help but collapse onto it. The owl perched by the window. I crawled under the covers and carefully tore open the Hogwarts letter first.

 

_ Dear April María Lupin. _

 

_ Thank you for returning your examination so expeditiously.  Below are your course levels and you will receive your schedule with the rest of the school on your first day.  Please do not shoot the messenger if you disagree with your results. You are still set to have a meeting with Dumbledore after your classes on the first Friday back.  Feel free to address any complaints to him directly in this meeting.  _

_ We also noticed that instead of only choosing and completing the assessment for only two of the electives, you chose to complete them all.  So, we made the decision for you by selecting out what we observed you cared for the most through your responses. I look forward to seeing you back on the first of September. _

 

_ Sincerely, _

_ Professor Flitwick  _

 

I quickly turned to the next page to see my placements.

 

_ Core: _

_ Astronomy - 4th year _

_ Charms - 5th year _

_ Defense Against the Dark Arts - 5th year _

_ Herbology - 3rd year _

_ History of Magic - 4th year _

_ Potions - 5th year _

_ Transfiguration - 5th year _

 

_ Electives: _

_ Care of Magical Creatures - 5th year _

_ Divination - 4th year _

 

Great, so I had no real place at Hogwarts and would instead be balancing between multiple different years.  I kept looking at my Herbology placement. I knew I was bad, but 3rd year level just seemed rather sad. I always thought the subject should be an elective, you can buy most if not all ingredients these days so I have never seen the point.  

This also meant that I would be sitting for my OWLs for over half of my course load at the end of the year.  Maybe this was a good thing, maybe it was good that I would only have to do examinations half at a time. I was worried about what that meant for my last year of Hogwarts.  Would I be simply milling about the school while everyone else was in class, still trying to catch up in Herbology? I suppose I should make a list of my concerns so I could speak to Dumbledore about it at our meeting.  I threw the note in my school trunk and turned to the other letter. In neat letters my name was drawn out on the front.

 

_ April, _

 

_ I wanted to check in and see if you got back ok.  My father told me that the Weasley’s would be leaving a while after us and we couldn’t wait.   _

 

_ I felt like things got a little weird with us.  I must admit it was my first real tango with firewhiskey so I may have done something wrong and made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize.  That being said, I thought that kiss was pretty spectacular and I hope you feel the same. However, kiss or no kiss you are a great person and I really enjoyed getting to know you.  I look forward to seeing you more at Hogwarts next week. _

 

_ I’m having Edwin, my owl, stick around for your response.  He’s a nice guy as long as you keep him busy. I look forward to your response. _

 

_ -Cedric _

 

What is wrong with me.  Here is this exceptionally sweet man checking to see if I’m ok.  We get along great, I could sit and talk to him for hours. That kiss.  As wrong as the timing was, it was amazing. I felt the world fall away if only for a moment.  Then I took his kindness and got upset. I was like a grumpy toddler. I had no reason to act any type of resentful towards him.  Maybe I’m just a rude/mean drunk. I should make a mental note to keep that under control in the future. I heard Edwin tap on the glass of my window as if asking me to hurry up.  This broke me out of my inner monologue of self hatred and I set to writing a response.

 

_ Cedric, _

 

_ Thank you for checking in on me, I appreciate it.  Sorry for being weird in the woods after the kiss, it doesn’t have anything to do with that... necessarily.  More so that I think my drunk alter ego is a bit of a dick that likes to swat away any kindness. I hope you will forgive me for my heartlessness.   _

 

_ I agree that the kiss was a bit earth shattering.  I never before would’ve thought that a riot could be a romantic background, I have been proven incorrect in that assumption.  However, I do have some reservations when it comes to the topic of us that I think would be easier to talk about face to face.  Reading that back now that looks a bit scary, but I promise it isn’t. Thank you for caring and being there for me since the moment I met you. _

 

_ -April _

 

_ P.S.  I know you are a Hufflepuff so I am compelled to ask how good you are at Herbology.  Not trying to make an aggressive generalization, just… asking for a friend. _

 

I rolled up the parchment and attached it to Edwins leg.  He seemed relieved at the new quest. Edwin flew out the moment I opened the window for him.  As soon as he was out of sight I turned around and collapsed into bed.

The next day I got ready as quickly as I could.  I could barely contain my excitement at the journey to Diagon Alley.  It had been so long since the last time I was there that I felt I may have made things a bit more grand in my youth.  I remembered giant witches and wizards of all forms and colors. Now, looking back they probably weren’t giant, but I couldn’t help but hope it was as grandiose as I remembered it.

I scarfed down my breakfast and waited eagerly for my still half asleep father to descend from the stairs.  My supply list came with my Hogwarts letter so I was all ready to go. There are very few things I enjoy as much as back to school shopping.  It is just so great to believe that buying better quills will make you care more and therefore do better. Who needs a New Years Resolution?

After what seemed like forever, my dad was finally ready to go shopping on the town.  Before stepping into the fireplace he gave me a small money purse. He explained that it was what my mother had given to him for taking me last minute. The idea that money was exchanged over my head about which parent would care for me bothered me immensely.  I could see on my father’s face that he felt guilty, it wasn’t something he wanted.

“I insisted that she not give me anything.  It implies that you are a burden which I certainly do not see you as,”  he paused as if to gauge my reaction. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer and sent it anyway.  This year you’ll need dress robes, so spend it on that and keep the extra for Hogsmeade trips. I’m sure she would love anything you bought.”  I could tell he was trying to make up for my mother’s lack of parentage. I loved her, of course, but she was never the most present mother and always seemed very self involved.  She would tell me how much I look like her and then compliment me when I wore something she bought. I felt like a genetic barbie. Whenever she was complimenting me, she was just boosting her own ego.  My dad was the selfless man who was always happy to see me. It didn’t matter if I looked a certain way or not, as long as I was happy my dad was also happy.

“Thanks, dad.”  I said ignoring the coin purse for a moment.  I wrapped him in a hug and I felt his chest jump in surprise.  I really appreciated his awkward yet polite way of dealing with my mother.  He still had so much love for her. For her, I was her constant reminder of a past mistake.  She loved me but she seemed to love the parts of me that were most like her, not the whole package, at times.  We stepped into the fireplace and with a throw of floo powder and a well enunciated destination, we were shot out into the Leaky Cauldron.  

I did my normal shopping around for supplies and such with my father.  As expected, the witches and wizards were not giants but instead just seemed that way in my youth.  However, this did not detract for the overall grandeur of Diagon Alley itself. It still brought back those precious memories except this time there was a promise of more to be added to the collection.  My father and I enjoyed going into almost every shop at least looking around in ones we didn’t need to enter. We played around with the different gadgets and what not before deciding to move on. It was the simple moments like this, just spending time with him, that made me realize how much I really missed him.

Our last stop was Madam Malkin’s for the dress robes as well as a new school uniform that actually fit.  My dad insisted I go in alone stating that any opinion he held on the subject would probably be fairly unhelpful.  I sighed but knew he was right, he would meet me back at the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer before we headed back home.  I went through the racks trying to find something, anything that could catch my eye. Then it happened, hidden in the middle of the rack of my size was the perfect dress for me.  I picked it up and went to the changing rooms while trying to not get my hopes up in case it looked horrible on me.

To my surprise, it was absolutely perfect.  It was a light greyish-lilac silk cowl neck dress.  It was being held up by two sturdy but thin spaghetti straps, but didn’t expose too much of my small chest.  The back of the dress dipped down towards my lower back, stopping before thing got too scandalous. It fit like a glove down to my waist and hugged my curves perfectly and then flowed easily down to the ground.  I exited the dressing room and stepped on the pedestal for Madam Malkin to begin alterations. As I was the only one in the shop she came by very quickly.

“Now, I don’t want to sound insensitive to Mr. Ollivander but I believe that dress has chosen you,”  she remarked with a sly smirk.

“Thank you.  That means the world coming from you,”  I answered. I put on a pair of nude sandal-esque heels, with a thick heel, to get the height right and she quickly altered the dress to perfection.  I purchased the dress, the shoes, and a few more updated Hogwarts uniform items before leaving.

Walking out of the shop someone ran into me and I swiftly fell to the ground.  Laughing at my own stupidity as well as the overall embarrassment, I picked my bag up again.  I saw a had extended to help me up to my feet.

“You know, you should really look where you’re going,”  said a sly and overconfident voice. I looked up to see Draco Malfoy.  Even though it had been a few years he was one of those characters that seems impossible to get out of your memory.  He had such an infamous presence, especially from hanging out with Hermione in the past that it was someone I could never shake from my mind.

“Yeah, sorry about that,”  I took his hand and lifted myself to his level.  “I’ll try not to make it a repeating occurrence,”  I added with a smile, trying to keep the tone light.

“Ah, an American.  Getting set for Hogwarts, are we?”  He asked simply. He clearly did not remember who I was, not that I blamed him.  I decided to tell the truth but not over share.

“Yes to both.  Sorry for bumping into you, I have to get to my father now-”

“Draco, Draco Malfoy, I’ll be a fourth year Slytherin.  Pleased to meet you?” He extended his hand out for me to shake and asking my name along with it.  The way he introduced himself seemed well rehearsed in a bathroom mirror. 

“April,” I answered shaking his hand quickly, intentionally moving on to not be asked my last name.  “I’m kind of a mix of a few years but I am basically a fourth year...” I paused laughing a little at the awkwardness, he did not join in my feigned laughter.  Instead he looked intently at me.

“Do you know your house yet?” Draco asked, his eyes searching mine for weakness.

“Ravenclaw.”  At this he smiled and his guard was let down and shaking my hand.  

“Well, it has been a pleasure, April.  I look forward to seeing you soon. It should be an interesting year.  My father has already told me all about it…” he seemed to pause for dramatic effect.  He wanted me to be eager, he wanted me to engage and ask what his powerful father knew.  I couldn’t give him that satisfaction.

“I’m really sorry, Draco, but I really do have to be getting back to my father now.  It was good bumping into you.” I said quickly and turned to the Leaky Cauldron.

After a butterbeer and a quick bite, we headed back to the house.  I spent the following week collecting my things, organizing, and packing them away.  Cedric and I kept up a correspondence almost daily and Hermione wrote to keep me up to date on the goings on at the Burrow.  Even George sent me a letter checking in and seeing how I was. It was a great feeling to have people there for me when I would be going away, people who would be right alongside me.  I made sure to spend as much time with my dad as I could before leaving. In the mornings I would make him watch me cook so he would hopefully be able to pick it up and do it on his own in the future, my expectations weren’t high (or should I say eggspectations).  

Monday rolled around too quickly and I was to be shipped of to Scotland.  I hated that I had to leave my dad but both of us knew that it was coming.  We relished the time we spent on the way to the station hoping to make each other sick of one another before having to separate again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took me to put up. Hoping that the longer chapter makes it better. Please comment and let me know what you guys think. I know not a lot happens in this chapter but I just really needed to get her on the road to Hogwarts already. Hoping to move a bit faster once she gets there. Thanks to anyone who keeps coming back, I really appreciate it!


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